First Avenue remains one-way for two more months

Sound Transit confirmed today that – as one of our readers had suspected – First Avenue Northeast will remain one-way at the Maple Leaf Portal for two more months.

First Avenue NE between NE 92nd Street and just south of NE 100th Street will remain open southbound only through May. Current traffic and Metro bus service detours will remain in place through this extension.

The northbound closure allows crews to safely complete excavation and dirt hauling of the Maple Leaf Portal site. Keeping the northbound lane closed helps keep trucks from tracking out dirt which can wash into nearby Thornton Creek. Additionally, the northbound closure maintains a consistent traffic pattern rather than having continually shifting conditions. Unfamiliar changes in traffic can create a safety hazard.

Crews now plan to open the northbound lane once excavation is complete in May.